Russia accused Armenia on the 10th of May of giving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a platform to make anti-Kremlin remarks, Reuters reports.
This marks a deterioration in relations between Russia and Armenia, which were previously considered allies.
During a visit to Yerevan last week, Zelensky said that drones could hover over Moscow’s Red Square during the parade on the 9th of May. The parade was much smaller than usual and this year did not feature military displays due to concerns about attacks by Ukrainian drones.
Moscow summoned Armenia’s ambassador on the 7th of May to explain what it called Zelensky’s terrorist threats to Russia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the situation was not normal and did not correspond to the spirit of Moscow’s relations with Yerevan. Peskov added that Russia was waiting for explanations from Yerevan, and
the most important thing was for Armenia not to take an anti-Russian stance.
Russia expressed concern on the 7th of May that, after its admission to the European Political Community on the 4th of May, Armenia was being drawn into the European Union’s “anti-Russian orbit.” More than 40 European leaders attended the event, including Zelensky. It was followed by an EU-Armenia summit.
Relations between Russia and Armenia (which hosts various Russian military bases) have become more complicated since Azerbaijan returned the Nagorno-Karabakh region to its control in 2023, despite the presence of Russian peacekeepers.
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